The Son of Neptune
by rainfall-star07
Summary: Hey. Percy finds himself in alley with a friend he doesn't know. He doesn't remember anything. Percy will reach the Roman camp safely, but who knows what he'll find there? Short summary only but please read!
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first story. I hope you guys will like it. Please feel free to review! :)**

**I don't own Percy Jackson!**

I woke up, shivering.

My head throbbed. My vision was blurry. I couldn't see my own hands in front of me. I tried to get my bearings. Where was i? And why was it so cold?

My hand brushed the ground. It was wet. Oh, I thought. It was raining. The raindrops had been splattering on my face the whole time and I hadn't noticed them. Weird.

"Hey, pal. What are you doing? It's raining! Why aren't you covering yourself? Are you trying to get sick?" Someone beside me exclaimed. That person pulled something from behind me and put it over my head. He forced my hand to take hold of it, to keep it in place. I held it silently. It was a cardboard.

The rain didn't fall on me anymore, but I didn't really care anyway, I looked around me, dazed. I was sitting in some sort of alley. It was rather narrow, not to mention dirty too. Garbage bins lined the walls, and most of the rubbish was strewn on the floor. The sky was dark and thunder boomed all around me while the raindrops fell heavier.

I turned to someone sitting next to me. The one who gave me the cardboard. His eyes glowed in the darkness as he stared back. He had something flat over his head as well.

I must have been gaping at him, because he asked, "Um, Percy, are you all right?"

Percy? That was my name? I scratched my head with my free hand. Suddenly, a million questions popped out. Where was I? What was I doing here? Who am I?

I looked at the garbage bins. I was pretty sure I didn't live in a dirty alley, the last time I checked. The last time… When?

"Er, look, guy. Thanks for the cardboard." I said, when I remembered the guy's question. "But, really, I…"

"Guy?" The boy seemed offended, or was he faking? "I've got a name, you know. And why are you thanking me for the cardboard? It's yours." He spoke to me as if I were a crazy lunatic.

I tried to explain, "Really? I can't remember anything."

The boy scoffed, "Who are you trying to kid? Well, I'm not falling for that lame trick. Good night." With that, he turned away from me and leaned back against the wall.

I felt totally disorientated. Who was he? I closed my eyes and tried to remember something. Anything. I saw flashes, but they were too random, too inconsistent. None of them stopped long enough for me to take a good look at. I tried not to panic. I closed my eyes tightly, shutting out the pitter-patter of rain outside. Sleep, I told myself. Everything will be all right in the morning. At least I hope so.

I woke up to someone shaking me. "Rise and shine, sleepyhead. It's getting late." I opened my eyes and was blinded by the sudden brightness. Whoa. It was morning already?

My mind was still groggy. I shook my head to clear it. I realized that it had stopped raining and my cardboard had slipped off me. Probably when I was asleep. There was someone standing beside me. I stared at him.

He had small eyes and an equally small mouth. In fact, he looked like an elf, minus the pointed ears and height. He had curly hair, which was all around his face, blond in colour.

He caught me staring. "What's up, pal?"

"Well, _pal, _I have no idea who you are." I said.

He rolled his eyes. "Playing the same tricks again? Yeah, I'm not your super cool best friend. I'm a giant monster who's come to eat you!" He started making gestures with his hands, like monster claws. He pretended and batted me with his hands.

"Stop it." I snapped. I knew he was only fooling around, but it made me uneasy.

He looked surprised. "Okay. Okay. Let's go get some food!" He put his arms around me. I shrugged it off, annoyed. Why won't he understand? "I don't know you, pal!" I repeated, feeling sick.

He blinked. His eyes were bluish and intense. Suddenly, he laughed. "Oh yeah, man. I know what you want! Fine, if you don't want to do it. I will." He clapped his hands together as if he had said something clever.

"Do what?" I asked, bewildered.

He ignored me, "Come on!"


	2. Chapter 2

He pulled me along as he ran. I was dragged along behind, irritated. He ran past streets, before stopping behind a column. "Ok, how do you want to do this? Cash or just take it?"

I was sick and tired of games, "Do WHAT?"

He pointed excitedly to a store opposite us. It was a supermarket actually. I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean cash or take it?"

He rolled his eyes. "I mean do you want to use cash to buy or just STEAL?"

"Steal?" The idea disgusted me. "Of course I would use cash! Who would want to steal?"

The boy smiled mischievously, as if saying me of course! "Well, do you have any cash?" He asked. His expression told me he didn't expect me to say yes.

I searched my pockets. I found a few golden coins, which I had no idea how I had gotten them. I showed it to him and he shook his head. "I haven't seen these coins before. They're probably so old." I searched further. I found a pen. It was a common ball point pen with a cap. It wasn't money, but I had a feeling I was going to need it.

The boy rolled his eyes again. If there were an eye-rolling competition, he would have been champion. "You haven't gotten any, have you?" Then, he grinned.

I watched as he walked toward a man. He was wearing a tie and suit and was carrying a suitcase, most probably going to work. The boy winked at me as he followed the man. He knocked into the man purposely, but he made it look like an accident. While the man picked up his suitcase, the boy picked his wallet which was at the man's back pocket. He hid it quickly in his own pocket, before bowing respectfully to the man and then retreating.

I gaped at him. He had just picked someone's wallet and he was grinning like it was nothing!

"See, piece of cake!" He said triumphantly, showing me the wallet.

"Are you crazy?" I managed to utter. "You just picked a guy's wallet!"

He stared at me as if I was the crazy one. "Gee, Percy. You've seen me do it a dozen times. It's the only way to survive in this world." He grinned.

I stared over his shoulder. Hopefully, the man would just walk away and realized nothing was wrong. If not, we're dead.

Turns out, my luck was bad. Or should I say our luck. The man had stopped at a roadside stall not far away. It looked as if he wanted to buy something, because he reached behind for his wallet.

I felt nervous then, "Erm, guy…."

But he wasn't listening. He kept on rattling about how cool it was and how he was so skilled at stealing stuff. The man had realized his wallet was gone. He was starting to look for it on the floor. Then, he spotted us behind the pillar. He began to yell and rushed toward us. Just our luck, a policeman was standing nearby.

"Guy!" I yelled, shaking the boy. He turned and paled at the sight of the man and police chasing him. "Run!" He yelled and fled. I followed closely. The policeman was yelling into his walkie-talkie. Calling for back-up, no doubt.

We ran and ran. I didn't dare to look behind for fear I would lose my nerve. I had a vague memory of this, like running had become my usual routine. Odd.

After running for like an hour, ok, maybe it was like a few minutes, we stopped. No one was after us, thank the gods. I leaned against the wall, panting. We had ducked into an alley. "That was super close." My friend panted, still grinning.

I had had enough. I grabbed him by his neck and pinned him the wall. "You are crazy, ok? "I didn't know where I had the strength to do that, but I didn't care. "You don't understand! I don't know you, pal! I have no idea who you are or who I am!"

The boy looked stunned, "You mean you really don't know?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" I let him go anyway.

The boy raised an eyebrow. "But we've been staying in that alley for like what, three months? We're like brothers now! How can you not know me?"

I shrugged, "All I know is that I just appeared there yesterday. I wasn't there before, I'm sure." The boy bit his lip, as if trying to figure out whether to trust me or not.

"Ok, I'll just pretend you really don't know anything." He decided. I rolled my eyes.

"You're Percy. I'm Lionel McEvans." He put out his hand. I shook it. Finally.

"What's my last name?" I asked. He screwed his face. "I-I..." He scratched his chin.


	3. Chapter 3

Suddenly, there was a noise at the back of the alley. I jumped. A trash can toppled and someone stood from behind it. Whoa. The guy was like seven feet tall. You could see his muscles bulging, even in the dark. When he walked out into the sunlight, I froze. His face was the ugliest ever. But that was not what that caught my attention. When I looked up at his eyes, I couldn't decide whether I was seeing two eyes or one. They kept alternating.

"Who dares enter my territory?" He roared. I was deafened for a moment. "Sorry. W-We were just passing by." I stammered. Lionel was nodding his head furiously beside me. The guy narrowed his eye/eyes, "No one enters my territory and leaves it alive!" He roared.

Oops. Bad words. I turned to Lionel. "Run!" I yelled. I grabbed him by the wrist and we fled. I could hear the guy run after us, his feet stomping on the ground like an earthquake. We ran onto roads and dodge cars. We weaved in and out of alleys, hoping to lose the guy, but he was fast. He had no trouble following us.

Finally, our bad luck held. We ran into an alley. It was a dead end, with absolutely no way out. The walls were too high up. I turned to face the giant.

He walked towards us slowly now, as if he could smell victory already. Just then, his eyes came into focus. And it was an eye, not eyes. It was a Cyclops!

I gulped.

Lionel seemed to see it too. "We're dead, aren't we?" He whispered.

I didn't answer him. My hand went to my pocket automatically, and I drew my pen. The Cyclops laughed till the ground shook. "You gonna write on me? Or are you gonna poke me with that?" Under normal circumstances I would have been embarrassed, bur not now.

I uncapped my pen. It grew into a blade about two feet long. It shimmered in the sun light, golden in colour. Lionel gaped at it, "Wow, gold!" He exclaimed.

The Cyclops was no longer laughing. He glared at me, "It's been a long time since I've tasted demigod meat. Even celestial bronze won't save you now!" I had a vague feeling he was referring to my blade. Before I could figure it out, he picked up a trash can. "Now, die!" He hurled it at us.

I rolled out of the way and out of the corner of my eyes I could see Lionel duck to the other side. The Cyclops charged after me. I waited till he was close, before I slashed at his stomach like I had done it a million times before. My mind went into an overdrive. I dodge as the Cyclops tried to push me away, before slashing out with my blade again. I slashed and parried away his hits. My mind went into autopilot. Dodge, slash, roll, stab. It went over and over again until I realised none of my attacks actually worked. My blade kept deflecting of his skin, like it was rock.

I was pushing the giant further and further out of the alley. Whoa, I thought. My sword skills were super cool! The Cyclops wasn't so confident anymore. "Not so tough anymore, are you?" I taunted, my mind trying to figure out his weak spot. The giant only growled.

Then, I got it. Of course, his eye! Without hesitating, I ran up the wall a little before pushing myself off it.

I landed on the giant's back clumsily. He tried to shake me off, but I acted quickly. I put my arm around his neck for better grip. I took my blade and quickly stabbed the Cyclops in the eye. He bellowed in pain.

Why wasn't he turning to dust? I wondered before I thought my question was odd. The Cyclops still stood, and he was still trying to push me off his back. I pushed my blade further into his eyeball until only the handle was visible. He howled so loudly he deafened me. I let go my grip around the giant's neck. Bad move. I fell to the ground, landing on my back and hitting my head. Ouch. My vision blurred.

When it cleared, all I could see was Lionel. The Cyclops wasn't there anymore.

Lionel stared at me, his eyes full of fear, "Percy, that thing was a Cyclops! I-It turned to dust!" He offered me his hand, thought he looked afraid of me, "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

I tried to answer him, "I don't know."

**Hey, i just continued my story. If you read this, please continue to ****chapter 4! Thanks for your reviews and i'm hoping for more! :) Merry Christmas and a happy new year, guys!**

**L**ionel looked perplexed, "So you really lost your memory or something?" I nodded. He frowned, "I thought you were toying with me at first. But now, I can't tell….."

I took his hand, and got up. "Lionel, I would explain, but I don't know anything. Who I am, where I am and how I had learned to fight. Heck, I don't even know where I'm from!"

He was about to reply, when we heard a noise behind us. It sounded as if all the sand in the alley were gathering somewhere, scrapping the floor along the way. I spun around.

What I saw made my blood freeze. The monster was regenerating. The sand was already forming his legs and solidifying them. I turned to my new friend, "Let's go." I said. He didn't need to be told twice. We turned and I picked up my fallen sword before fleeing with him.


	4. Chapter 4

We ran as far as we could, leaving that alley behind. Finally, breathless, we stopped. It was past noon already. We were both starving. So, I had no choice but to watch Lionel buy some food for us using the stolen money.

"I still can't believe I'm letting you get away with this money." I said, as I grabbed the hotdog from him.

He shrugged, "Hey, we'll do anything to survive." He seemed to have forgotten our meeting the Cyclops.

We sat at the road side to eat. "Lionel, where are we?" I asked.

He answered between mouthfuls. "Well, I saw the signboards. It said Richmond District, San Fransisco.

I raised an eyebrow, "So we're in San Francisco?" It was hard to believe.

He nodded, "Percy, about this morning…" The frightened look appeared in his eyes, "Why was there a Cyclops? I mean, aren't they myths or something?"

I had no idea how to answer him. "Only the gods know." I blurted.

He sighed, "I hope we don't have to meet one again."

"Me too. By the way, Lionel, tell me more about you. How long have I known you?" I asked. He frowned, "I can't remember exactly. About three to four months?"

"Do you live in the streets?" I asked, watching his expression turn from confusion to anger to sadness.

"I only started a few months ago. You see, I was a rather troublesome kid. I was ADHD and dyslexic too. Can't read properly. I got into so many fights in school I was expelled every year. My mom was patient and told me I could always try to be better. She was running out of schools to put me into but she didn't want to admit it." He sighed. "Did you know, that wasn't exactly the first monster I've met? When I was still staying in my house, a couple of weird things tried to kill me then. My mom came in time to save me, and the monsters fled, but that left a big impact on me. It was my fault. I was luring the monsters."

"But how do you know? It might not be your fault." I argued.

He shook his head, "My mom got mad at me once and she blurted it out. She told me I was special, so the monsters had taken a liking to me." He shuddered.

"Where's your dad?" I asked.

His eyes narrowed, "He left my mom some time ago. Never saw him again. Didn't know where he went."

That situation sounded very familiar, like it had happened to me before.

"You're mad at him, aren't you?" I asked.

Lionel clenched his empty soda can. "I don't really know. I'm mad at him for not bothering about me all this time, even though I have no idea who he is. But I know he must have had his reasons for leaving us."

"So you left home because of the monsters?" I asked.

He nodded, "The last straw was when my mom and I were walking in the park and suddenly a snake woman attacked us. It was horrifying. He ran away at last, but because of her venom, my mom now has a terrible scar on her face. I couldn't bear it, so I ran away."

I wished I could tell him something about myself. But I didn't remember anything. "So how did we meet?" I said. He smiled a little. "Well, I sort of met you in an alley. I don't remember much." I frowned, I was a runaway too? I didn't think so. Then again, I didn't know anything.

"Let's find a place to sleep." I suggested. We avoided alleys. We passed many streets and when we were passing by a place filled with trees, Lionel stiffened. "What?" I asked, urgently.

He stared at the trees. "Something is telling me to go there, urgently."

I stared at him. "What? Into the forest?"

He ignored me and walked straight towards the trees. I couldn't see anything special among them, except more trees and maybe some wild animals. I ran after Lionel. "Hey, you don't want to go in there. You don't know what's in there."

He turned to look at me, confused. "There's something there. Trust me."

Trust him? I had no choice. I followed him cautiously, my blade still in my hand. We past many trees and headed deeper into the heart of the forest. It was getting late.

"Lionel, I don't think there's anything there." I tried to say as gently as possible. We had started climbing up a slope. Lionel ignored me and continued climbing. That was when the trees parted and gave way to the edge of a hill.

"I knew it." He breathed as if it were the most magnificent thing he had ever seen.

I made my way cautiously right to the edge. The sight of what laid at the foot of the hill was amazing. A small building stood out though. It was not part of the circle, it stood a little further way and it looked lonely standing alone in the vast green field. The field stretched out to the left until it reached a farm, while on the right, the field ended with a lake. Opposite the hill was another forest which seemed to stretch as far as the eye can see. The little buildings were protected by wooden fence which was built all around them.

The most amazing sight was the people who were hanging around the buildings. They looked little bigger than ants from up the hill, but I could tell they were wearing armour. The weirdest thing was, some of them were sword fighting. I mean, actual sword to sword sort of thing! I stared, amazed.

"Let's go down there!" Lionel cried. He made his way down without waiting for me. I ran after him. We slid down to the foot of the hill in no time. In close-up, I could see they really were wearing those battle armours. The buildings were little cabins and the left-out building was bigger than the rest. It was black and red in colour, with huge pillars.

"Maybe, they'll let us sleep with them!" Lionel was excited. He was jumping around. I stared at him, "Whoa. Wait. We don't know who these people are."

Lionel rolled his eyes, "They are humans. Unless you got a better idea. Do you want to sleep on the streets again?" He approached what seemed like the only entrance to the cabins in the wooden fence. I hadn't noticed before, but the entrance was built like a wooden arch way over our heads.

"Lionel, no!" I cried. I wasn't going in there until I found out whom there were. They could be the bad guys, for all I knew, what with the swords and armour.

Too late.

He stood under the arch, put his hand on the fence and unlatched it. I ran to him and held his shoulders firmly, "We don't know who they are!" I insisted, "They have swords! What if they…" I didn't get to finish my sentence.

"Percy, look out!" Lionel yelled.

Something cold pressed against my throat, "Drop your weapon." A menacing voice spoke into my ear. I had no choice but to let go my grip on my blade. It clattered to the ground. I struggled, but my captor held me tighter and his armour scratched my skin. One look and I could tell that someone had captured Lionel as well. His captor had a knife to his neck too, and he looked vicious.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" A voice spoke. Another boy walked out from behind me and came forward. He looked a bout eighteen and he was the only one not wearing armour. A crowd had started to gather around us, all in full battle armour. More were climbing out over the fence. The boy smiled, menacingly, his features twisted. "Two demigods on the run? Oh, and one with a nice weapon." He glanced at my blade on the ground.

"Let us go!" I said, clenching my fists. He was clearly jeering me.

The boy pretended to think. "All right, I suppose I have to." He sighed. The crowd seemed to murmur to themselves in disappointment.

I knew he wasn't going to let us go so easily. I was right.

"But you will have to fight me." He continued, circling me. His fiery expression and his crumpled purple t-shirt didn't scare me. "Fight and win, we will let you go. Lose, you pay with your lives." He grinned like the idea fascinated him.


	5. Chapter 5

"Bring it on." I said, through my teeth. The boy smiled and waved to my captor to release me. I picked up my blade from the ground. Before I could even stand, the boy charged with a battle scream.

Nice try. I immediately swung my blade. His sword caught the hilt of mine. He looked surprised that I could block that attack. To be honest, I was too. But he recovered fast. He attacked me again, this time trying to twist my sword away. His sword was longer than mine, but his attack was easy to deflect. I stepped closer to him and countered with a jab to his gut. He blocked it, but I quickly slashed at his shoulder. His purple shirt tore.

He wasn't smiling anymore. He ran forward and swung his sword with all his might, hoping to hit away my blade. His attacks were powerful, but I was quick and nimble. Perhaps even more skilful. I jabbed, rolled, slashed and ducked. I moved so quickly it was all a blur. What surprised me most was how easy those moves came to me. The poor guy was sweating and he looked totally beat. I was still fresh. After a few minutes, I decided to end it. I twisted his sword out of his grip easily and then my blade was at his neck.

"I won." I told him. "We had a deal. Let us go."

He scowled. I could tell he hated losing, especially to a nobody like me. But he had no choice, what with my blade on his neck.

"Fine." He grunted, finally. "Go."

The crowd was silent as I got up. I grinned at him, but before I could even take a step away from him, he yelled, "Get him!"

Suddenly, a bunch of guys rushed out from the crowd. They were almost fifteen of them and they charged at me all at once. I fought them, feeling as if this wasn't the first time I had been in an unfair fight. My blade would clash with theirs occasionally and I would immediately counter with a move. I was fast and nimble but powerful. I moved forward without even having to think about it. I didn't even care about my own safety as I fought.

I went on slashing and stabbing until something smashed against my chest. I looked down just in time to see a sword shattering when in came in contact with my body. The girl was left with only the handle and she looked shocked.

The crowd gasped.

I stared as the remains of the swords seemed to fall to the ground in slow-motion. No way, I thought. That didn't even hurt? I wasn't made of rock or diamond, was I? I stared down at my bright orange t-shirt. It was torn where the sword had hit it, but I was fine.

The guys who were fighting me all backed away. Suddenly, there the crowd parted and gave way to a pack of wolves. The one in front was a giant she-wolf, taller than me by several feet. Her fur was warm chocolate in colour and she regarded me with cold eyes.

The wolf didn't speak, but I could understand her. Her every movement- the flash of her eyes, the way her lips curled were part of her language.

_Who are you, demigod? State your name._

"My name is Percy." Then, before I could stop myself, I said, "Wolves can talk?"

The she-wolf curled her lip. _That is of no concern to you, demigod. What is your last name?_

"I don't know." I answered honestly. The wolf studied me for a moment before saying, _I sense the truth. No matter. You have proven yourself worthy in that swordfight, Percy._

I didn't know what to say, so I asked the question that was bothering me a lot, "How did the sword shatter?"

The wolf stared at me with intense eyes. _ I believe you have taken a dip in the Styx, haven't you?_

I had no idea what she was talking about, but the crowd gasped. Thunder boomed all around and the wolf tilted her head. _I knew it. You are Percy Jackson, aren't you?_

I blinked a little. That was my name, I could tell. But how did she know? "Yes, I think my last name is Jackson."

The wolf narrowed her eyes, but said nothing. She turned to boy holding Lionel, _Release him. Take them to camp. They will be claimed. _

Then, with a flick of her tail, she turned and left with her pack.

Then, the crowd dispersed, muttering under their breaths.

"… Lupa believed him. He was lying." One was saying.

"Lupa is never wrong." Another warned.

"Besides, he could see our camp." Another spoke.

Lupa must have been the she-wolf. I thought to myself. I ran over to meet Lionel as he was freed. "Percy, you were totally amazing." He exclaimed, before frowning. "Except for the part where the sword shattered. Percy, sometimes I think I don't know you." I shrugged, not bothering to tell him he really didn't.

They started dispersing. They swarmed back towards the entrance. Lionel and I stood there like idiots, wondering what came next. Questions were buzzing around my mind. Claim? What was that? It felt like it was something I had known before, but had forgotten. I squeezed my eyes shut, desperate to remember something.

"Hey, you two." I heard a voice. I opened my eyes to find myself facing a boy about my age. His eyes twinkled and he smiled at me. At least he was being friendly.

"Hey." I said, "So what now?"

He grinned, "First, why don't we introduce ourselves? I'm Robert. Bobby, for short."

"I'm Percy." I said, though I know he already knew it. I shook his hand. "This is Lionel." I pointed to him. He took Bobby's hand too.

"Nice to meet you guys. Are you ready to have a tour?" He asked.

"Tour?"

"Yeah. Around our camp." He gestured toward the small buildings.

Whoa. This was a little too fast. "Camp? So that wolf told you to bring us in there? We don't have a choice?" I asked. Lionel tensed as if he anticipated a fight.

Bob winced. "Don't talk like that about orders given by Lupa. She'll hear you. You have to come to camp."

"Why?"

"Because you're demigods!" He said, as if it was really obvious. When he saw the expressions on our faces, he tried to explain, "Demigods lure in monsters. They attract monsters like magnets. You can't survive out there in the world for long if you've had no training."

Lionel gasped, "You mean, it's_ normal_ for us to attract monsters like Cyclops and stuff?" I knew what he was thinking about. His mom.

Bob nodded. Then, he stared at me, "Percy, how old are you?"

I frowned, "I don't know." I said.

He narrowed his eyes, "You really don't know?"

I told him I'd lost my memory. Clearly, he didn't quite believe me, but why would I lie? Besides, Lupa believed me.

I turned to Lionel, "Do you know how old I am? Did I tell you?"

He bit his lip, "I really don't know. You didn't tell me before, I think…" He trailed off. Bob looked at me up and down, sizing me up, "You look around sixteen or seventeen. From the way you fought, you definitely have had training before. No one could survive for that long without any, anyway. But that wouldn't have mattered, if Lupa was telling the truth…" He stared at me as if I were dangerous.

"What?" I was afraid of the answer.

He stared at me gravely, "If you had really taken a dip in the River Styx, then you bear the curse of Achilles."

I stared at him. That sounded very ominous. But something else was bothering me. I was close to relieving a memory. I was very close…

An image of a dark place flashed past me. An army of black skeletons stood before me, armed, but I felt no fear. I slashed past them. They started firing at me, but I continued attacking. The bullets hit me, but I wasn't hurt…

"Percy?" Lionel snapped his fingers in front of my eyes.

I was shook out of my thoughts. Whoa, that was scary. Where was that dark place filled with skeleton armies?

"Are you all right? Did what I say scare you?" Bob shook my shoulder.

I stared at him, not really seeing him, "Tell me, Bob. Is this… River Styx in some place dark?" I finally asked.

He narrowed his eyes, "In the darkest place in the whole world, Percy."

My heart was beating faster. "Where?"

"The Underworld, my friend. Where the dead lives."


	6. Chapter 6

I tried to process everything Bob said. Underworld. I knew where that was. It was where the dead go when they die. But to say that I'd been there before was disturbing. Does that mean I was dead before?

"I'm sure your memories will come back soon." Bob said, sympathetically. "Let's continue our tour, shall we?"

I nodded. We walked under the arch and entered the campsite. Bob grinned and pointed at the arch, "You see that? The arch keeps mortals out. It will not allow them to come in. The camp is also protected by magical ways. It will not be seen by mortals."

"What are you doing, Bob?" A voice came. We found ourselves staring at a girl in full battle armour. If anyone looked fierce, she did. In fact, she looked like she was a war goddess. Her hair was totally black and her eyes told me not to mess with her.

"Reyna." Bob sounded a little less confident. His fingers twitched nervously.

The girl glared at him, "What do you think you're doing? Giving new campers a tour?" She turned to me, "So you're the one everyone was talking about? Percy Jackson, the boy who bears the Achilles curse?" She said it with total disdain.

I stared at her. I was definitely _not_ going to like this girl. "Well, yeah. What, you weren't there to see the whole show?" I said, boldly.

She glared at me, her eyes filled with fire, "No. I'm not as nosy as the rest of them." Then, she turned to Bob, "They will have to earn their places in the camp by themselves. Moreover, you will not teach them anything until they're claimed. Rules are rules." She snapped.

Bob nodded, even though he didn't seem to like it. "I know what it's like to not know anything, Reyna. So do you. We wished there was someone to help us at that time, didn't we?" He added softly. He had started fiddling with something in his pocket.

The girl didn't answer him. Suddenly, her eyes darted to Lionel. But she wasn't staring at him. She was looking over his head. I followed her gaze. Above Lionel's head was a blazing holographic image of a long stick with wings at the top. Lionel saw us staring and looked too. He yelped and tried to sweep it away, but his hand passed through it, unharmed. "What's happening?" he asked, panicked.

"A cadeuses." Bob stared at the symbol. His face was bathed in the blue light. Campers were gathering around us again, pointing and murmuring.

I fixed my gaze on the hologram. Then, something popped into place, "It's the symbol of Hermes, the god of messengers, travellers and thieves." I breathed.

Reyna's gaze turned back to me. "Yes and no. It's the symbol of Mercury. Hermes is the Greek name for Mercury. How did you know that, Percy Jackson?"

I didn't like her gaze on me. It made everyone else stare at me too, "I hate to tell you this, but I don't know." I said. Reyna raised her sword. She thought I was toying with her.

"Enough, Reyna. Lionel has been claimed. I shall take him to his cabin and then show Percy the rest of camp. How's that?" Bob snapped. Reyna tilted her head, "Really? Did you forget you were supposed to be on your way for your archery lesson, or is that no longer important to you?" With that, she walked away.

The crowd parted. Bob sighed. "You must forgive her. She just lost someone close." Bob explained. I didn't care; she had no right to treat new campers like that! But Lionel asked, "Who was it?"

Bob paused, "It's our camps' greatest hero and her sort of boyfriend-Jason Grace. He went missing three days ago. It was really unexpected. We just woke up one day to find him gone." He shrugged. "But she's right. I am late for archery. And she's one of the leaders, so she's probably not going to forgive me. So, guys, you're on your own. Lionel, you've been claimed, so you can stay in legion twelfth. Percy, I'm sorry, but you have to wait till you're claimed. So just walk around and try not to mess up, okay?" He was nervously putting his hand into his pocket and then taking it out again. I could hear the tinkling of mechanics in his pocket.

"Okay." I said. But my mind was racing. Sort of boyfriend? Grace? Why did that sound so familiar?

He nodded once, "Lionel, get to your legion. You'll find them in their swords lesson now. There." He pointed to a clearing not far away. "Percy, walk around. By the way, keep that sword. It's safe in here. Hopefully, you'll get claimed before the campfire tonight. If not…" He winced. He turned and with a quick wave, he left.

"That was weird." Lionel commented. My heart was pounding. That didn't sound good. "Listen, why don't you check out your legion or whatever it is? I'll take a walk around." I suggested. I wanted some time alone.

Lionel seemed to understand. "I'll be at the legion." He told me, before walking towards the direction Bobby pointed just now. I looked at my sword. How do I keep it? I reached into my pocket and took out the cap. Wait a minute, it was still there? Without thinking, I put the cap at the sword tip. It turned back into a pen. I was so surprised I almost dropped it. Whoa!

I put my pen into my pocket and started walking.

Every time I walked past someone, they'd stared at me and then start whispering among themselves. No one was as friendly as Bobby.

This was one serious camp.

The sun had started to set. I hadn't realised I had walked so far until I reached the lake. The sunlight on the lake made it look so peaceful. I felt calmer as I stared into it. Maybe it was my imagination, but I felt stronger somehow.

I was about to go sit at the lakeside when I saw a girl pulling up a canoe all by herself. It looked really heavy, so I walked over to her. "Need a hand?" I called.

The girl turned. I was surprised. It was the girl whose sword I had broken just now. I hadn't noticed, but she was quite pretty, what with her long brown hair and almost perfect features. She looked startled to see me.

"You." She seemed to recognise me. She took a step back, her eyes filled with terror…

And fell into the lake.

Water splashed up as she fell. She got to the surface, spluttering. The canoe she had half pulled to shore slid back into the waters again, pushing her away. "Help!" She yelled, splashing, "I can't swim!"

Till that point, I was rooted to the spot. But when she started yelling, I quickly ran over and dived into the lake.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, guys! Sorry for the really long delay! I've been reeeally busy. Anyway, i finally continued the story. I hope you'll enjoy it! Please review! =D Thanks a bunch!**

Did I know how to swim? I asked myself when my head cleared the water and I dived for her. I didn't care then. The girl was struggling. I took hold of her hand and turned to swim back to shore. Suddenly, something else splashed into the water. That something grabbed hold of my neck and pulled me deeper into the water. I was so surprised I let go the breath I was holding. My grip on the girl was gone. The something, no, someone pulled me deeper into the water. I tried to see who it was, but I couldn't see a face among the bubbles.

I was out of breath. I struggled to be free, but that person was strong. He held me and pulled me away from the surface. He was deliberately trying to drown me! I was really out of oxygen then. I was on the verge of blackout when I tentatively took a breath. I was ready for a mouthful of water, but instead… I got air!

I could breathe underwater!

I was so relieved I started breathing rapidly. Bubbles came out of my mouth. Each breath made me feel stronger. I didn't wait for my mind to figure out why I was breathing. Instead, I pushed the person holding onto me with a force I hadn't had moments ago. The person seemed to be in shock, for he didn't resist. My mind instinctively thought, _Get to the surface now!_ I swam for it, but the person grabbed hold of my leg.

I turned. It was a boy. I could see him clearly now, it was the boy whom I had defeated earlier. The one in the purple t-shirt. His features were twisted with rage, but mixed with surprise as well. He aimed a punch at me, but the next thing I knew, he had disappeared. He had burst through the surface and left a trail of bubbles behind him in less than 2 seconds.

And I hadn't touched him.

I swam for the surface, shaken up. I got all the way to shore to find the girl and the boy already there. The crowd had started to gather again. I walked up the shore, pushing up the canoe on the way. It seemed light.

The crowd gasped. They were staring at me, _again._ I looked at my orange shirt… It was completely dry. I reached for my hair and pants. Dry too. This day was getting weirder and weirder. How can I be dry when I had just come out of water?

The boy who had tried to kill me was shocked, "Who are you?" He whispered.

I had no answer, but my mouth answered for me, "I am Perseus Jackson, son of the sea god." The crowd gasped again. I was shocked. Son of the sea god? Where did that come from?

Everyone avoided me when I made my way to find Lionel. I still wasn't claimed yet, but that wasn't my biggest problem. How could I say I was son of the sea god? What if I wasn't? I hadn't even had a sign yet! Oh man. The sky was dark by now and cabin lights had been turned on.

"Hey, Percy!" Lionel greeted me excitedly. "Did you know we have cabins? Oh gods, we can stay here for as long as we want!"

I stared at him, "Yeah." I shrugged.

His face fell. "Are you claimed yet?"

"No."

I told him what happened at the lake.

He was quiet when I finished. "I'd learned about him." He said, finally. "His name is Michael Smith. He's not one you would want to cross, so I'd heard."

Great, more good news.

"Lionel, it's time to eat." Someone behind him called. He turned, "Yeah." My heart sank. Lionel had already fitted in. I was still the odd one out.

I was aware of someone watching me. I turned, but there was no one around. I spotted something in the shadows of the cabins. The thing beckoned to me with its finger.

"Percy, I hate to tell you this. But they won't allow those who haven't been claimed to eat." Lionel sighed. "I don't know what they'd do but I'll try to get something back for you, ok?"

His voice seemed miles away now. "Sure." I turned back to him. He gave me a wave before turning to leave. I turned back to the cabin, but there was nothing there now. There was no one around except me and the shadows.

"Hello. Percy." A voice spoke beside me.

...

**Hey i continued!**

I jumped violently. A lady was standing next to me in a cloak. A hood was over her face, making it impossible to be seen.

"Who are you?" I took a step away from her, my hand immediately uncapping my pen. My pen grew into a blade in less than a second.

The lady sounded irritated, "Oh, put it away. I'm not here to kill you. Do you remember me, by any chance?" She took off her hood.

Her face was rather beautiful, but there was something to it. What was it? Hard and tired? I looked closely at her. She looked very familiar. Not to mention powerful too. My head throbbed, "No." I said, closing my eyes.

"That is all part of it. You wouldn't have survived for so long have I not taken your memories." The woman pulled up her hood again.

I was angry. "You took them? Who are you?"

The woman shrugged, "You'll have to find out yourself. I'm a goddess, as you can see. Don't worry, your memories will return soon enough. But before that, you must listen to everything Lupa tells you. You must do as she says and try your hardest to fit into this place."

I wanted my memories back. "How can I fit in when I don't know anything about my past?" I said, my voice reaching a yell.

The woman faced me. Her eyes pierced mine. "You, Percy Jackson, play a very important role. You will have to fit in if you do not want to die. I will give you back your memories if you promise to fit in and be one of them. Be their leader."

I was taken aback, "Leader? I'm a nobody! I'm not even claimed yet!"

"Accept my deal, Percy Jackson."

I hesitated. This was a goddess I was speaking to. Was she trustable? But I wanted back my memories, badly. She was right. I had to fit in here or I was not going to live very long. It was something I had to do, whether I accepted her deal or not. But be their leader?

"I'll do it. But I can't guarantee I can be their leader." I declared.

The woman seemed to smile wearily. "You will be. Now, I can't stay…"

"Wait." I said. A question was buzzing in my mind, above all the others. "Answer one question. Please." I pleaded.

The goddess scowled. "One."

"Do I belong here? Was I right, coming down here?"

The goddess stiffened. "You will make things right. You will belong here, Jackson." She promised. Then, she disappeared into smoke.

So much for answering my question. I thought.

I didn't know what to do, then. I couldn't eat dinner because I wasn't claimed. I couldn't really do anything.

Suddenly, something sparked in my brain.

I knew where I had to be.

I walked away from the cabins, away from their shadows. I retraced my steps back to the lake. There was no one around to stare or point at me now. It was absolutely peaceful.

The lake looked even more beautiful in the dark night. The moonlight shone on it. The lake surface shimmered as it reflected the night sky. It was so beautiful. I sat on the shore and thought. How did I breathe in water? How did Michael burst out of the water in less than two seconds? Why wasn't I wet when I came out of the water? I stared at the lake, hoping it could give me some answers.

A growl got my attention.

**Sorry for the cliff hanger! I will try to update as soon as possible! Thanks!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! First of all, please let me apologise again for the really long delay. Secondly, i want to thank all the people for continuously reviewing and reading my story! I hope you guys can continue your support! If i get at least 47 reviews, i might update faster. Thanks! =D**

I jumped up and stared at the wolf that was approaching me. Lupa, without her pack.

She tilted her head. _Percy Jackson._She said coldly.

What should I do? In the end, I just nodded and said, "Lupa."

The wolf regarded me with her mysterious eyes; _do you know why you are here in this camp, demigod?_

"Uh, to learn discipline and to train?"

She snorted, _Yes; I suppose she wouldn't have told you. That is correct, Percy. But I will not deny that you have a much bigger task than the others._

I bit my lip, "Why is that?"

_I cannot say. But I will not treat you differently, even though I know what you are going to face. You will still have to earn your place here and be one of us._

"I know."

_You haven't been claimed yet, have you?_

"No." Here it comes, I thought. What was she going to do?

Lupa curled her lip. _I suppose that will have to be an exception as well. But you do know which god is your father, don't you?_

No, I wanted to say. But in my heart, I did know.

"I'm son of the sea god, Poseidon." I said.

_No, in this camp, you're son of Neptune._Lupa corrected. _Roman aspect of Poseidon._

"I don't understand." I answered honestly. "But tell me, why am I an exception? Why won't I be claimed? Is it because my dad doesn't want to?" I hoped I didn't sound too desperate.

Lupa seemed to find it amusing. _You have already been claimed, haven't you?_

I hadn't considered that. "Is that possible? I don't remember anything at all. That goddess…" I felt anguished. I closed my eyes, willing myself to remember. I didn't want to be the odd one out.

When I opened my eyes, Lupa was still there. She bit her lip; _You will stay here in camp. As far as anyone knows, you have already been claimed, and you have proven yourself. As for your friend though…_

She seemed to be thinking of something bad. "Lionel is worthy." I said quickly.

_He hasn't proven himself. We only accept those who have proven their worth. That, you will learn in this camp._

I couldn't argue with that.

"So, I'm son of Poseidon, I mean Neptune? I can't drown?" I stared into the depths of the lake.

The wolf studied me._I know what happened today. Yes, those are your traits. Go and meet your friends at the campfire._With that she turned. _We will speak again, Perseus Jackson._ She disappeared.

...

I walked away from the lake, questions buzzing in my head. I tried to understand what Lupa had just told me but nothing made sense. Bigger task than all of them? Important role? It made me sound like a hero or something.

That's what you are, my mind told me.

Cut it. I gritted my teeth. You're just a crazy amnesiac who has absolutely no clue to what is going on. You're not a hero, kid.

My head burst with pain. A redheaded girl stood before me. "You're not the hero, Percy." Her voice sounded far away. "It'll affect what you do…"

I blinked and the vision was gone. The pain subsided. Who was that girl?

Turns out, finding my way to the dining pavilion was easy. The bright lights and noise coming from it were hard to miss.

I tried to look for Lionel, but there were too many people. Everyone was wearing a purple t–shirt and most of them were talking as they ate. I didn't know what to do, so I stood there feeling like an idiot.

"Hey, Percy. Come and get something to eat." A voice called to me. A brown haired guy sitting at the table closest to me was smiling at me. I recognised Bobby.

"Umm, I can?" I just realised how hungry I was.

He shrugged. "Well, Lupa hasn't…" He turned away. "Never mind, sure you can. Come on and eat." He seemed uncomfortable. I was sure he was about to say Lupa hasn't _killed you yet._ That didn't make me feel any better. I wondered if I could tell him my encounter with Lupa, but then I decided against it.

I went and sat down next to him hesitatingly. Everyone's eyes were on me and I tried to ignore them. I looked at the plate and well, it was empty. I stared at Bobby, wondering if he was trying to kid around with me.

"Spaghetti!" He told the plate. Suddenly, my plate was filled with hot, steaming noodles topped with red sauce. I stared at it, not believing my eyes.

"Well, go ahead and taste it." The guy smiled.

I gingerly raised the fork which wasn't there just now and picked up a few strands of spaghetti. I raised it to my mouth and was about to stuff it in when Bobby jumped up. "You have to sacrifice part of your meal as an offering." He told me. "I nearly forgot."

It sounded so familiar that I got up instantly. I walked to the nearest fire bronzer and scraped part of meal into it. The flames burned higher before dying back down. Staring into the flames, I really wished I knew who I was.

"How did you know you had to do that?" Bobby was standing next to me, gaping at me.

"I've done it before." I answered honestly, "I think." I was tired of answering 'I don't know'.

He didn't ask anymore and we both walked back to our seats. The spaghetti tasted delicious. Either that or I was just too hungry.

"Gather around!" A voice yelled. Everyone left their seats and followed the voice. I followed them. A young man was standing not far away from the dining pavilion, around a campfire. Everyone gathered around him and sat down. I did the same. So this is the tradition? Campfire nights?

"Tonight, we have a new camper." The guy in the centre announced. "Percy Jackson, can you please stand up?" He gestured to me. I stood up on shaking knees, wondering my fate.

Murmur spread through the crowd. A girl stood up-Reyna. "He's not claimed yet!" She shouted. The crowd murmured in approval.

The man glared at Reyna, "You were not given permission to speak. Sit down before I send you back to your cabin." Reyna sat down sulkily.

"Percy has already been claimed." The man stared at me, his eyes bright, reflecting the flames of the campfire. "He has also proven himself an excellent swordsman against our best men. Does anyone deny this?" The crowd was silent. I guess they had all seen me in action before.

"That settles it then. Percy, you will start training tomorrow. You will be in legion six. Everyone, meet Percy Jackson, son of Neptune." Everyone gasped.

I liked my new title. It felt right. I guess Lupa kept him updated. What I didn't expect was everyone around the campfire started bowing their heads in my direction, even the young man standing. No one had their heads up. It was a sign of respect and I was really surprised.

That gesture lasted for a moment. Then, the young men lifted his head and everyone did the same. "Our other new camper, Lionel, has not yet proven himself. But Lupa is merciful and patient. He will be in legion twelve until he shows his _abilities_." The man continued, staring at Lionel. His emphasis on _abilities_sounded threatening. I followed his gaze. Lionel looked uncomfortable.

The man then turned his gaze away, "Our searching teams have returned." He said. "They have searched as far as the city of San Francisco, but there is still no sign of Jason Grace." I remembered him as the guy Bobby mentioned. Leader of the camp.

He turned to look at us. "Jason has already been gone for three days. I do not think there is any more hope of finding him, but we will not give up. But if he doesn't return in two weeks' time, we will have to appoint a new leader." He seemed to be trying to make eye contact with everyone. "The leader shall be chosen by his battle skills, leadership qualities and his overall performance, which includes his attitude. Everyone will have a chance." He faced all of us.

"Jason will be back." Reyna spoke. "He has too." She sounded defensive.

The man glared at her. "Let's hope so. You're dismissed!" He waved his hand and everyone got up and left.

I got up and a girl nearly knocked me down again as she ran into me. I stood up to see the girl who had tried to kill me and nearly drowned today. Two near-death experiences and I still didn't know her name.

"Sorry." She turned to walk away.

"Wait. What's your name?"

She turned and stared at me. She seemed to be speculating whether to tell me or not. I n the end she forced a smile. "I'm Dakota Anderson. Welcome to camp." She walked a little before turning again. "I will see you tomorrow morning." She said and walked away.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey, this chapter is much longer than the ones before! Hope you'll enjoy it!**

I stumbled along back to the cabins. Each one of them had a number on its door. I approached the one with the number six and entered it.

Whoa. The cabin was really neat and tidy. There were double bed bunks in every corner of the room. They were simple, made of wood, but the designs were creative. They had built-in stairs at the side of the beds and at the bottom of each bed were a set of wooden drawers.

A few people were on the beds and they were totally ignoring me. I did a quick count and realised that there were nearly eight people. Since no one seemed interested in welcoming me, I just went to the nearest empty bunk bed and sat down.

"Is there anyone sleeping here?" I got my guts to ask the girl on the bed next to mine.

She stared at me with the eyes that said _say-something-and-I'll-blast-you_. She swept her jet black hair over her shoulder. "No." Then, she ignored me.

I tried not to feel uncomfortable. People in this camp are seriously unfriendly.

I lay down and closed my eyes. Sleep claimed me soon enough.

I was in a fight. I could tell by all the commotion around me and the sound of swords clanging together. I was standing up with my blade, backed by a girl. She was taller than me by an inch or so and was holding a bronze knife. Her blonde hair was swept behind her shoulder and her grey eyes looked stormy. She was slashing at monsters and was gradually moving away from me when suddenly…

A cry came. I felt my heart thump faster. A chill when down my back and I turned to see the girl on the ground clutching her arm. It was bleeding badly. A guy was standing behind her, holding a bloodied knife. Judging by the position of the blade, he was about to hit me on the bottom part of my back. The girl actually took the blade for me.

Staring at the injured girl who had saved my life, I felt very angry. I felt like she really meant something to me, even though I didn't know her. I hit the guy in the face so hard with the butt of my sword I dented his helmet and he fell down. "Get back!" I yelled, slashing out in a wide arc. "No one touches her!"

A conch horn being blown woke me up. Don't ask me how I knew it was a conch. Anyway, as soon as it was blown, everyone around me scrambled up. The lights turned on and everyone began changing their clothes. I was still groggy and I curled myself into a ball on the bed, reluctant to get up.

Someone threw a pillow on my head. That woke me up instantly. I got up angrily and tossed the pillow off me. The girl who had slept in the bed next to mine was all dressed and she hissed at me, "Get up, new kid before they come and get you." I didn't understand what she meant, but it sounded ominous. So, I got to my feet quickly. I had no extra change of clothes so all I had to do was put on my shoes and run out of the door after them.

I was still sleepy and the dark sky didn't help with my vision. I stumbled after my cabin mates, wondering where on earth they were going. Finally, a voice called, "Stop!" Everyone stopped at once and I almost bumped into the person in front of me. I looked around. I had made it all the way to the lake. The guy from the campfire yesterday was standing in front of the lake. He raised his hand and everyone fell silent. "Good morning, campers." He called out to all of us. "I hope you have had a good night's sleep, because we are going to begin today's exercise by running eight rounds around the lake."

My jaw dropped. The lake was huge! Eight rounds were way too many.

No way was I running that.

The guy seemed to read my mind, "The one to come last out of the eight rounds will run another five rounds. We do not tolerate weakness here." His eyes blazed even in the darkness. "Begin!"

Everyone started running. I followed after them, irritated. Even though I had no memory, but I was sure I _never_ started my mornings running till I drop dead. The rest of the campers seemed to know better than to argue, because they all ran as fast as they could. My cabin mates soon left me in the dust. I was only on my second round and I was already panting like crazy. As I stumbled past the third round, I realised I was one of the last few people. The very last in fact, as only Lionel was behind me. His face was red.

"I don't know how long more I can run!" He puffed.

I didn't want to waste energy talking, so I just nodded. I continued running. I tried to find the burst of energy I had found in the lake yesterday, but it wasn't there anymore.

At about the third round, I saw the man giving out bottles of water. I took one and after a second's hesitation, splashed the water onto my face.

The water rejuvenated me and I felt the energy return to my arms and legs. My mind was clearer. I ran with renewed energy.

The wind blew past me and whipped against my face. That was how fast I was going. In minutes I passed the fourth round. I was no longer panting as hard as before. I even passed my cabin mates and they stared back at me in shock.

I was shocked too. But hey, if water can help me, why not use it to my advantage?

So whenever I felt tired, I just poured water down my face and I'll feel a whole lot better. So, I kept doing that until I used up another two bottles of water.

After what seemed like hours, which was probably just an hour or so, I finally finished. I crashed to the ground after my eighth round. I was so tired, now that my extra burst of energy has left me.

"Good job, Percy." I raised my head to see the young man folding his arms at me. "You didn't come in last at all. In fact, you were one of the first." He told me.

I was shocked. I got up and realised he was right. Most of them were still running. There were less than ten people around me who were sitting and resting. And one of them was…

Dakota?

She was sitting on a huge rock, wiping off her sweat. I walked over o her on wobbly legs.

She lifted her head when she saw me, "Hey." I croaked. My voice sounded like I had sandpaper for a throat.

She didn't smile. "You amaze me. It's tough being one of the first few to finish the run."

"Oh yeah? You're one of 'em too."

She gave me a wry smile. "I've been trained before."

Then, there was an awkward silence.

"Who is your godly parent?" I asked, wondering if she was going to tell me or ignore me.

Her brown eyes narrowed. "It's Apollo, god of the sun." She answered, finally. Then, she stared into my eyes. I found it hard to look straight at her, because her eyes were so piercing and well, because she was pretty too. "You broke my sword the other day." She said. "How did that happen?"

I tried to answer her, "Well, they said I had taken a dip in the Styx. But I don't remember…" The moment I said that, I knew I wasn't telling the whole truth.

Then, my head started aching.

_The pain was excruciating. It was like being boiled in acid, multiplied by fifty times._

_I felt myself slipping away._

_I forgot who I was, why I was here. I was losing consciousness…_

_Suddenly, a blonde haired girl appeared. Her gray eyes were filled with humour as she laughed. She was standing by a shore, near a canoe._

_And I had fallen right out of the canoe into the lake._

"_You're not getting away from me that easily, Seaweed Brain!" She laughed as she gave me her hand._

_I took her hand. _

_Suddenly, memories flooded back into me. I remembered. I remembered the reason I was there. I remembered who I am._

_I am Percy Jackson._

"Hey?" She nudged me. "You okay?"

Still feeling the pain, I shook my head, and then answered shakily, "Yeah."

But I wasn't okay. The image of the girl filled my brain. She wore a Yankees cap and when she smiled, she looked extremely confident. My head burned. I was filled with the urge and desire to look for her. She was definitely the answer to my past.

After everyone finished running, the young man gathered us again. I'm sorry I can't call him anything else besides 'young man', because I still didn't know his name yet. Everyone around me was panting and sweating. I hadn't realised it, but Lionel had managed to catch up with the last few stragglers and they past the finish line at the same time.

"Since no one finished last alone, there will be no punishment today." The man announced. I expected cheers, but the deathly silence continued. The man then said, "You have half an hour to eat, after that, please go to your respective classes." He waved his hand and the crowd dispersed. I was about to follow, when he called out, "Percy Jackson and Lionel McEvans, please see me now."

When we were both by his side, he gave us each a form.

I looked at it. The words seemed to swim before my eyes, but I managed to make out half of what it said:

**Activities Form**

Roman History (Compulsory)

Latni Class (Compulsory)

rAcheyr Class

Sword Fighting Class

Jaliven Throwing Class

Caneoing Class

Actnig Class

Metal gorFe

Gardening Class

nPotio Class

"You have to choose at least 5 classes to take." The man said.

I took out my pen, wondering if I could write with it. Did it have any ink in it at all?

I took off the cap and was ready for the blade which will shred my paper into pieces, but it never came. Instead, my pen was still my pen.

Wow, did this pen have a mind of its own or something?

I wrote with it. The ink was amazing. I couldn't tell whether it was red, yellow, blue or black. Maybe it was a mixture.

The first one i wrote was sword fighting classes. Of course. It was sad, but it was the only thing i was sure i could handle.

I followed my instincts and wrote archery class next, since it had a kind of impact on me. I didn't know whether it was in a good way or bad way, so why not?

After some thinking, I filled the last one- canoeing.

Lionel borrowed my pen and filled in sword fighting class, canoeing, and finally acting.

I didn't question him as he returned my pen.

"Do we get to change classes if it doesn't work out?" I asked. The man gathered up the forms and nodded, "Just go to your new classes and inform the respective people-in-charge." He stared at me and I found him creepy. He walked off without another word.

"Come on, let's go!" I tried to sound upbeat, but Lionel just looked gloomily at me. I didn't press him. We were half way to the dining pavilion when he sighed and said, "You know what? I'm really useless. I can't do anything like you or everyone else." He looked like he really needed a hug.

"You're good at some stuff." I tried to assure him.

"Like what? Stealing? Much good that will do in here." He kicked at a stone and sent it skittering across the ground. "I think I'll be out of here soon, if I don't prove myself. But what can I do? I can't fight."

"You can learn." I said.

He shook his head. "What they are looking for here is my talent. And I think I'm just gifted at stealing. Did you know my dad was supposed to be the god of thieves? He wasn't a powerful god, so I guess that passes down to me." He seemed angry with his dad. I noticed the way he said "wasn't" and not "isn't".

"Your dad is still alive." I told him.

He stared at me. "You believe in all this crazy things? My dad can't possibly be a god! G-O-D! That's insane."

I was surprised. "But you just said…"

Lionel glared at me. "I said, "Supposed"! My dad is no god! He was a loser because he left my mom and I alone! Now my mom is gone and I get to inherit his lousy traits? That's fair?" He stalked off without another word.

I didn't know what exactly had happened. But one thing I knew, Lionel did not believe in the gods, Greek _or _Roman.

**PJ will definitely have more adventures. Maybe he'll go on a quest? Maybe someone from Camp Half-Blood will find him? Who knows? =D Haha. Reviews please!**


	10. Chapter 10

I fell asleep the minute my head hit my pillows.

My dreams were hazy ad blurry. But I kept seeing the blonde haired girl and a boy who had sandy colour hair with blue eyes. The girl was hurt. She was lying on the floor, bleeding. She was in a throne room and the thrones were huge! They were arranged in a semicircle. They towered over her, making her seem small and miniscule. The sandy haired boy was standing near her, his expression pained as he raised a scythe by his side. He aimed it towards the girl.

I wanted to scream. A surge of protectiveness overcame me as she croaked, "Family, Luke…You promised." The boy's eyes flashed golden then blue. "Annabeth, you're hurt." He whispered. I automatically kicked his scythe away, but he didn't even flinch. He wore an expression of shock and horror. He approached her slowly, as if in a daze. I stood between him and her, "Stay away from her," My mouth moved automatically, but Luke ignored me. Maybe he couldn't see me.

Then, the vision fast forward in a blur. When it stopped, it was still the same place. Annabeth raised her hand weakly, a boy with small horns standing by her. She stared at another boy who wasn't there a minute ago. With a shock, I realized I was staring at myself! "The knife…" She held out a golden knife, which my image accepted. My imaged walked towards Luke, who spoke, "No. Only I can. He will break my control..." He looked tortured. My image hesitated before handing the knife to him. What? No, I yelled, but no sound came out. My image stood before him, defenseless. Luke raised the knife…

"Percy? Get up!" Someone shook me. I was drenched with sweat and I had to blink several times to make out a shape in the dark. It was the dark haired girl. "Huh?" I asked, confused. "Shh." She hissed. "You were thrashing like crazy in your sleep. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." She said curtly.

"I'm fine." I spluttered, sitting up. "I had a horrible dream." My mind was in turmoil, but I was sure of one thing- I had to find this girl and reveal my past, no matter what.

…

The next day, I went to find Lupa. I didn't know where to find her, so I went to the lake again. Seeing it immediately calmed me. Lupa seemed to be waiting for me at the edge of the forest. "Lupa." I greeted. "I want to ask for your permission to leave camp."

Lupa turned. _Leave? I suppose you want to search for your past._

"Yes. I wish to search for this girl called Annabeth. I must."I didn't tell her that I would go crazy if I didn't. Annabeth will haunt my dreams till I do.

Lupa curled her lip. _I have expected this. You will need companions._

I was shocked. "You mean…You're letting me go?" I thought she would give me a long lecture which will eventually end with an answer 'no'.

_I cannot stop you. Besides, I see this as a good opportunity to test the other campers. _Lupa smiled.

Uh-oh. "I thought I would go alone." I explained, but she waved her tail dismissively. I followed her as she went to gather all the campers. They gathered anxiously. Lupa looked at them. _ A quest has been issued. _The campers gasped.

_The new camper, Percy Jackson, shall lead it. And he will be accompanied by two who have not yet proven their worth. Lionel McEvans and Dakota Anderson, please step forward. _They both did as they were told, too shocked to say anything. I didn't want them to go. I mean, I needed all the help I could get, as I will be starting from scratch, but I'll be leading them into danger. Lionel is not even a fighter!

Lupa gazed at Lionel and Dakota as uncertainty rippled through the crowd. _You both shall assist Percy Jackson in finding out about his past. There is something else as well. There is an army approaching us from the south. An army of giants and Cyclopes, no doubt. I want you to go and find out some information on them and their progress. In other words, track them and bring back extra help if necessary._

My jaw dropped, "What?"

Lupa was not done yet with Lionel and Dakota_. If you succeed, I shall make you full members of the legion. You deserve it if you have proven your worth. If you fail to do so, I advise that you don't come back_. That was harsh. Lionel looked terrified whereas Dakota seemed calm.

_You will leave at noon. You have seven days to finish the quest. I advise that you start with the army, it will lead you to your past, Percy Jackson._ Lupa flicked her tail and turned away.

"That's it? No prophecy?" I called. I didn't know why I thought one was necessary, but it felt proper. Lupa spun around. _No prophecy. We do not have an Oracle. Though I suggest you consult the children of Mercury. _Then, she disappeared.


End file.
